5 Mistakes to Avoid If You Want to Lose Weight

Losing weight can be difficult, especially if you want to lose several pounds. This is a process with ups and downs, and one of the most important factors in achieving it is one’s mindset.

I tried to lose weight for several years and often gave up because I didn’t know or didn’t want to believe a few things. I made mistakes, I cheated on diets, but I tried to view everything as a life lesson, and in the end, I met my goal.

I’ve listed the five most common mistakes I’ve made that you should avoid if you’re trying to lose weight.

1. You have unrealistic expectations

I know, I also wanted to lose 20 pounds in a month or see significant results in the first week I started going to the gym, but that never happened. Remember, you did not gain weight overnight, so you will not lose weight overnight. That doesn’t mean that if you gain 20 pounds in four years, it will take another four years to lose them.

Losing up to 8 pounds in a month is considered healthy by experts. It should be noted that we have different types of metabolism and burn calories at varying rates.

In any case, the weight-loss process is faster in the first few months and slower in the following months. That means, for example, you should expect to lose 30 pounds in at least 5 months.

Cosmetic issues such as sagging skin may also arise if you lose too many pounds in a short period of time.

2. You follow a very strict diet

Eating too few calories causes fatigue and nutrient deficiencies, which can have a negative impact on your long-term health. Try to adopt a healthier lifestyle rather than following a diet.

This is a mistake I made several times. I ate 1200 calories or less every day, but I didn’t lose the weight I expected, and I even reached a plateau stage. This exhausted me and affected my focus.

I had to do field practice five years ago, so I got to spend a week in a mountain resort walking 4 to 12 miles per day on mountain trails. The main issue was that I only had fruits, vegetables, and low-calorie bread stocks with me.

As you can imagine, I didn’t last more than three days like this. I was exhausted by the middle of the week and could barely crawl on the trails, always lagging behind the others. But, in the end, I reasoned, “Well, I ate so little this week, I must have lost weight,” but when I returned home, the scale revealed that I had gained two pounds since leaving for field practice. I was extremely disappointed.

3. You give up after the first cheat

One of the main problems is that we gave up after the first cheat. ‘Oh, I can’t lose weight,’ we complain as we take another bite of junk foods.

Everyone has cheated on a diet at some point, but the main difference between those who lost weight and those who did not is that the first group did not give up; they realized what they were doing was wrong, but they persevered.

One of the most important things I learned from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, is that the first mistake is forgivable, but the second means you’re already starting to form a new habit. What I mean is that it is not the end of the world if you make a mistake, but it is essential to be aware of the mistake and abstain from repeating it until the end of the day or the next day.

Don’t blame yourself for cheating on a diet; instead, accept that you can make mistakes and try not to repeat them in the near future.

4. You compare yourself to others

Because we are all unique and have different metabolisms types, we all lose weight at our own pace. Comparing yourself to others will only serve to lower your morale and divert your attention away from your goal.

If you want to lose from 155 to 135 pounds, don’t be discouraged if you don’t lose weight as quickly as someone who wants to lose from 265 to 240 pounds. Because that person must lose more water and fat, the slimming process in the second case may be faster than in yours.

5. You return to your old habits after reaching your goal

“Oh yeah, I lost 10 pounds! Now I can go eat at McDonald’s,” we say most of the time after losing weight, but these actions will only cause us to gain weight again.

We shouldn’t view the process of losing weight as a tunnel with our favorite junk food products or a bag of sweets at the end, but rather as a new opportunity to change our lifestyle forever. There are numerous healthier alternatives that successfully replace unhealthy foods.

Discipline is the one-of-a-kind key to obtaining everything we desire.

I also wrote a story about how to stay focused when losing weight. You can find it HERE.

Thank you for staying with me till the end. Any constructive advice will be appreciated.

Yours,

Andreia

The story was firstly published on Medium.